In the midst of disarray, countless people, events, and fragmented scenes flitted across Han Yanyan's mind. She had no idea how she had been thrust out of that world, finding herself back in a stark white space. For the first time, she lay there in a horizontal position. The space was no longer bright; the light flickered erratically, and the harsh, old-fashioned alarm blared on, piercing her eardrums. It clashed terribly with Leo’s usual high-tech vibe, reminiscent of the old movies Han Yanyan had watched in the past.
Han Yanyan lay on the floor, her limbs twitching and spasming, every cell in her body aching. Distinguishing where the pain originated was impossible; it felt as if even her hair was hurting.
Amid the flickering light, she was ensnared by a fear of those eyes. Although they were distinctly different in shape, when her gaze met Yao Chen's, she instinctively recalled another pair of eyes. Those eyes, cold and indifferent, had watched the world crumble amidst chaos.
Ding Yao and Qiao Wenxing still existed in that world, yet their master had transcended it. And now, Yao Chen too had reached that state.
“Han Yanyan! Are you crazy? What the hell are you trying to do?”
Leo’s furious shout jolted Han Yanyan back to her senses. She wanted to laugh, but the intense pain made even that feel like baring her teeth in agony.
“Now… do I… have the… right to… talk to you…?” she managed to force out, her voice little more than a strained whisper. Despite her extreme weakness, courage surged within her like a last stand.
“Talk about what? You’re about to die, do you even realize that?!” Leo raged. “If I hadn’t cut you off in time, you’d be dead by now!”
“Ha… ha…” With every ounce of strength, Han Yanyan finally squeezed out a smile that looked more like a grimace. “If I die… I can… just find… another… Builder…”
“You think you can use that to threaten me? Pah!” Leo sneered. “Who do you think you are? Do you believe you’re important? So what if you’re a Builder? You are right; I can just find another one. It doesn’t even cost much. If you want to die, then go ahead!”
Leo was not someone to be taken lightly. Han Yanyan’s heart sank. Losing consciousness, she spiraled into darkness.
Leo ended the call, stomping his feet in frustration. “I want to find someone else! Get another Builder! This useless woman!”
But those behind him disagreed.
“How many is this now? So far, only she has shown any potential. If you change her, can you guarantee you’ll find another like her?” they asked coldly.
Leo fell silent. For the sake of one particular person, he had already lost three Builders. With no options left, he sought new ones in those desolate, out-of-the-way places. Though they were backward, such places often hid unrefined gems, just like Han Yanyan.
Yet, finding them relied heavily on luck. If he lost Han Yanyan now, he might not be able to find a second like her in a short time. That person was far too tough to handle; not any Builder could manage him.
“But her situation is terrible now, she’s not far from death,” he argued.
“Treat her,” the other party instructed. “She’s not dead yet, is she? Save her. This shouldn’t be hard for you.”
As they spoke, they casually waved their gun.
Han Yanyan’s life lay in Leo’s hands, while Leo’s fate hinged on these people. The one who had just cursed Han Yanyan to die now had to swallow his words and face her in order to provide treatment.
Damn, her body and spirit were so weak that she needed gene enhancement just to survive! What a foolish woman! Leo fumed.
When Han Yanyan awoke, she had no idea how much time had passed. In this place, her sense of time had completely failed. But this time she awoke not in pain, but with an odd feeling of being “full of energy.”
This feeling wasn’t just about having stamina or being spirited; it was closer to the sensation she felt in the apocalypse when her body was brimming with supernatural abilities.
It was peculiar.
“Hey, you fool!” Leo snapped at her, “Are you alive? Hurry up and speak.”
“Seems like I’m not dead; sorry to disappoint you,” Han Yanyan replied, smoothing her hair.
Leo snorted.
“Now, can we talk?” Han Yanyan asked leisurely.
“Talk about what? Are you kidding? I’ll tell you this; it’s not over yet! Not just you; I can’t leave either!”
Leo was agitated, and words spilled out under the heat of the moment, often revealing truths. This statement sent a chill down Han Yanyan’s spine.
After a moment of silence, she changed the subject. “Can those from the world that has ended be seen again?”
“Ding Yao? Well…” Leo started to answer before abruptly hesitating, “No, are you referring to Qiao Chengyu?”
Han Yanyan remained silent.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! That’s rich!” Leo howled as if he had heard a joke, “Don’t be ridiculous! The world has ended; it’s over.”
Han Yanyan recalled the last look Qiao Chengyu had given her, his expression, his gaze. She remembered him kneeling before her, vowing to cherish their future marriage and family, his eyes full of dreams.
Her hands clenched into fists.
“But,” Leo continued, suddenly shifting gears, “if you truly like someone, it’s not impossible to meet again. As long as you work hard for me and keep me satisfied.”
Han Yanyan’s eyes widened.
“I can meet whoever I want?” she asked, “Including Ding Yao?”
Leo stumbled over his words. “That individual is off-limits.”
Han Yanyan lowered her eyes, her expression unfathomable.
“Stop overthinking and focus on your work. I’ll give you another chance. Just do your best and don’t screw around,” Leo warned, recalling her previous reckless actions.
“I tell you, I’ve already lost three Builders, two of whom tried to eliminate their targets in the world… That method is forbidden. My Builders took that risk, and it clearly doesn’t work.” He scoffed, “What’s more, that target of yours is beyond your reach. If you go after him, it’s as good as committing suicide.”
What was this triggering? Superpowers? No… Han Yanyan, who once wielded powers, felt that what Yao Chen exhibited was closer to the destructive ability that Zheng Yao had unleashed upon the world.
But at this crucial moment, Leo managed to silence himself just in time.
“Don’t do that again! Do you understand, fool?” Leo snapped, recalling this incident, his temper flaring. “Your methods with Ding Yao did have some effect. Let’s stick to that route with Yao Chen.”
Han Yanyan's pupils constricted. “Yao Chen? He’s not dead?”
“Dream on! Do you think he’s that easy to kill?” Leo was angry again. “All of this is because of your reckless behavior! Not only have we wasted so much time, but now I have to restart this world! I’m warning you, this time don’t mess it up!”
Han Yanyan remembered how the bullet had been stopped by an invisible barrier, time freezing, while only Yao Chen had existed outside of it. At the moment Leo forcibly severed the world, she had indeed sensed imminent death.
If Leo had been just a fraction slower, she might have died in that world. Most troubling was that Han Yanyan felt a subtle difference; this time’s “death” was not the same as when Zheng Yao had turned her to dust.
Zheng Yao had destroyed the world but hadn’t given her a second thought. Back then, she had merely ceased to exist as the world crumbled.
But this time, Yao Chen had noticed her. The destruction in Yao Chen’s eyes was aimed not at the world but at her. If Leo had hesitated for just a moment longer, she might have truly died, never to awaken, never to resurrect.
Han Yanyan’s mind was filled with speculations and questions when Leo said, “Mark.” Han Yanyan was marked once again.
After the marking was complete, Leo added, “I won’t give you strict tasks this time. Just treat it like Ding Yao; go with your intuition.”
“World generation.”
With that electronic synthesized voice command, Han Yanyan was thrust back into the “fast-travel world.” She opened her eyes to find herself in a small room, holding a glass of red wine. Dressed in a vest, bow tie, and short skirt, she faced a dining cart.
Upon awakening, Han Yanyan lifted the napkin beside the ice bucket, discovering a bottle opener lying quietly there, but no gun. There were no invisible earpieces in her ears, no listening devices in her collar.
Suddenly, the preparation room door swung open, and another waitress entered, saying, “Yanyan, should I take the wine to Room 812?”
Information was activated.
The world restarted, settings adjusted. This time, Han Yanyan had no identity as a police officer; she was just an ordinary waitress working at this establishment. The incoming waitress was the true police officer.
Han Yanyan understood that she was hiding a gun, with listening devices in her collar, and an earpiece in her ear. A team lay in ambush outside the establishment, waiting for her signal to capture Yao Chen along with evidence.
This policewoman replaced the previous round’s “Officer Han Yanyan.” Clearly, Leo feared her recklessness and deprived her of the police identity, likely attempting to weaken her.
Would this be effective? Han Yanyan was curious to know.
“That won’t do,” she directly refused. “Room 812 has President Yao. President Yao is quite generous; he gave Xiao Mei two thousand as a tip last time.”
In the policewoman’s impression, this girl who was working part-time was usually agreeable, but she never expected her to reject her at such a critical moment over tips. Anxiously, she begged Han Yanyan, “Yanyan, I’m a bit tight on cash lately. Would you let me take this chance? I promise to repay you when I’m better off.”
Han Yanyan pretended to hesitate, replying, “No, I need the money too. My brother’s medical expenses…”
Han Yanyan had a sick family member, and she worked hard for every penny. The policewoman fell silent, watching helplessly as Han Yanyan pushed the dining cart to leave. Desperate, she bit her lip and, as Han Yanyan brushed past her, aimed a swift chop at her neck.
But Han Yanyan seemed to have eyes on the back of her head, suddenly bending down. The policewoman’s chop sliced through empty air.
Han Yanyan adjusted the dining cart, straightened up, opened the door, and called out, “Ah Sen, Ah Sen.” A boy came running over and asked, “Did you call me?”
The policewoman, wishing to strike again, had to retract her hand.
Han Yanyan said, “There aren’t many bottles left on this wine rack; we need to restock.”
Ah Sen replied, “Oh, the supervisor mentioned it, but I got so busy, I forgot.”
The policewoman could only watch as Han Yanyan pushed the dining cart out of the preparation room towards Room 812.
Two bodyguards stood at the door of Room 812, one of whom was rather handsome. This time, Han Yanyan didn’t flirt; she pushed the cart up to the door properly. The bodyguard glanced over and opened the door for her.
Inside the room, two groups of people had evidently just concluded a deal and ordered wine. Besides Han Yanyan no longer being a police officer, everything else remained the same as the previous round.
She parked the cart, pulled out the red wine from the ice bucket, and lifted the napkin beside it—this time, the napkin concealed a genuine bottle opener. Han Yanyan skillfully opened the bottle of red wine and leaned forward to pour for the two most important men in the room.
Yao Chen leaned forward, instinctively stealing a glance at the waitress.
The girl was very young, with long lashes, a delicate and attractive nose. Her subtle work makeup enhanced her features, making her look soft and alluring, pleasing to the eyes.
When Yao Chen’s fingers brushed the wine glass, the girl’s fair face was less than twenty centimeters from him when she suddenly whispered, “There’s a policewoman among the waitstaff, and there are police hiding outside, planning to capture you.”
Her voice was low and rapid. Others only saw her bending over to pour wine, but only Yao Chen, nearest to her, could hear her words.
A sharp glint flashed in the man’s eyes, focused intensely upon her face.